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Chapter Thirty-Eight

SUNNY

T he screen door slammed behind Sunny as she ran inside, Asher’s T-shirt in hand. She discarded it on the kitchen table as he picked up the phone and called the only person she thought could help her with this.

After three rings, Julie picked up.

“Hello.”

“Julie? It’s Sunny. Is Abe around?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just need to talk to Abe.”

“Let me get him.”

Muffled voices filled the speaker as she listened and waited.

“Sunny? What’s wrong?”

Abe’s low bass voice rumbled through the receiver.

“Is Asher there?”

“No. I haven’t seen him since he left to meet you at the diner.”

“Fuck!”

“Is everything okay?”

“I’m not sure. I think something is wrong.”

“Did something happen between you two?” Abe asked.

Heart pounding, Sunny was pacing in her kitchen so fast the phone cord was tangling around her.

“No... At least I don’t think so. I kind of left without telling him, but I was coming right back but then my car broke down, and I was gone longer than I thought.”

A deep sigh came from Abe. “Yeah, that could have freaked him out.”

“I wasn’t leaving.”

“I know, but he can get in his head. You know how he is.”

A knock came from the door. Her heart leaped. Maybe it’s him.

Fighting against the phone cord wrapped around her body, she finally freed herself.

“Hold on, Abe, there’s someone at the door.”

Ready to fling herself into Asher’s arms, she dashed to the door and pulled it open so hard it almost came off the hinges. But the person in front of her was not Asher.

“What is it, lass?” Bridget asked, brows pinched together.

“Asher. He’s missing. Come in.”

Bridget followed her in as she made her way back to the kitchen.

“Abe, it’s Bridget, not Asher.”

“Okay, I’ll go check some spots. Meet you at your house.”

He hung up the phone, and Sunny couldn’t help the fear pulsing through her.

“Sunny, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Asher is missing, and I can feel that it’s bad. I don’t know how to explain it, but I can just tell.”

Her panic was creeping up and clouding her thoughts. What am I going to do? Where could he be?

She was spiraling.

“Breathe,” Bridget said in a soft, soothing voice.

Sunny stopped and took a deep breath, followed by another. Another deep breath, and the spiral was sundowning. But something was still incredibly wrong.

“Can you feel where he is?”

Sunny closed her eyes, trying to sense Asher. She shook her head.

“Try again. Ye have yer connection to him. He is yer mate. That connection should be strong enough to find him.”

Sunny nodded and tried again.

“Ye need to be calm, lass. Focused.”

Sunny had a thought. Maybe it was time. She walked past Bridget, who followed her. She stopped in front of her mother’s parlor. The doors were shut, but it was almost like she could feel the magic emanating out of it. Slowly, she slid the pocket door open, revealing her mother’s space.

She walked in, closed her eyes, and let her hands trace over the shelf. She didn’t know what she was looking for, but there had to be something.

“That’s it, love. Listen carefully,” Bridget encouraged behind her.

Sunny walked around the room, her eyes shut, trying to take it all in.

Please, help me find Asher.

At that moment, smoke filled the room—only it wasn’t smoke. It was dust. Then she heard a beeping out the window that sounded like a large truck backing up. She ran to the window and pulled back the curtain—only she didn’t find her yard.

She found a construction site. The name on the sign was blurry, but the name on the trailer, she could read plain as day. VenDeer Construction .

She peered out the window, trying to look into the trailer. She couldn’t see anything, but she knew he was in there.

Then she heard a voice that made her sick say, “I’ll call the boss.”

She didn’t know what was happening, but they were running out of time.

Then, as if on cue, music started playing.

The radio started blaring “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” but this time, there was something else.

Somewhere, she heard a small familiar tune.

Then she spied her mother’s music box sitting on the mantle right next to a picture of her and her mother.

It had popped open and was playing “You Are My Sunshine.”

She walked over to the music box and found a little key inside. She picked it up. What was this to? It looked like it was to a cash box... or a lock box.

“I think I know where this goes to.”

First, Sunny turned off the blaring radio before making her way upstairs with Bridget on her heels. She made her way down the hallway and opened the door to her father’s office. This had to be it. Her eyes scanned the shelf, looking for the lockbox.

She found it and quickly made her way over. She slid the key into the lock and twisted. It popped open with ease. Her body pulsed with adrenaline and magic. There was a sense that what she was going to find would change everything.

Slowly, she lifted the lid.

There, on the top, were two photographs.

One was a coal truck, which looked like it had been hit.

The other was of the black car with front passenger-side damage, like it had pushed something off the road.

The license plates for each vehicle were clear and valid, along with the registration of the black car, which belonged to Percy Wilkes—along with it was a cease-and-desist letter because, apparently, her father had been trying to get the news to cover this story.

Under that was a letter from the coal company ensuring they would not come after the mountain or his land if he stopped pursuing them.

This was it. When they thought he was gone, they came sniffing again.

But there was something she was missing. He’d figured out it was the coal company. And while they hadn’t admitted to any wrongdoing, he’d gotten them to stop pursuing. That was more than anyone had been able to do when a massive corporation with government ties was involved.

If he had proof to keep the coal company away, why was he still researching? What was she missing? There had to be something else.

When she looked at the board again, all signs seemed to point to that church. Why?

She could figure that out later, but she had to get to Asher.

Under the letter from the coal company was a handwritten note from her father. Her hands trembled as she picked it up.

Sunshine,

If you’re finding this, it means I was never able to solve this. I have managed to keep our home safe and, in turn, keep you safe. I know the coal company killed your mother. I have the proof.

But they are not acting alone. Please be vigilant. They are not coming after the coal. They are coming after the magic itself.

I’m sorry I let you down. My greatest sorrow is not being able to fix this. I tried to solve this before it came for you kids, but I couldn’t figure it out. I’m missing something.

I’m still with you. I will help you see this through.

I love you, Sunshine,

Dad

Sunny held the letter to her face as tears streamed down her face. He was still here, helping her.

A loud knock sounded from the door.

“I’ll go get it,” Bridget said.

Sunny nodded, still gazing at the board. What am I missing?

Voices filtered up the stairs.

“Sunny?” a low voice said next to her. “Do you know where he is?”

She slid the note into her pocket, but before she turned to find Abe, Esther and Bridget all looking at her with searching eyes.

She shook her head. “Not exactly, but I do know he’s in a trailer. I think he’s trapped there. It’s on a VenDeer Construction site.”

Abe furrowed his brow. “Do you know where it is?”

Sunny shook her head.

Esther was looking over at the board, shaking her head in disgust.

“What is it?” Bridget asked.

“Just this,” she said, pointing to the card with the name of the church. “Once my husband joined that church, he changed. He became cruel and unsafe. I left because he started saying some really fucked up stuff about magic and women, and I know Ruby is about to come into her powers. I left.”

Bridget walked over to her. “The Church of Divine Deliverance. Why is that familiar to me?”

“Have you heard of it before?” Esther turned to her.

Bridget nodded. “But I’m not sure where. I saw it on a sign somewhere.”

“Like a billboard?” Sunny asked.

“No.” Bridget closed her eyes, trying to recall. “It was...” Her eyes flew open to Sunny. “It was at a construction site.”

“Where was it?” Esther asked.

“I saw it on my way back from the ren faire I did in North Carolina. I saw it... close.”

“Where?” Abe asked.

“This church is bad news. Like, really bad news,” Esther said.

“This church is a part of Bradford Wilkes. He’s the one who is trying to buy my house.”

Bridget gasped. “I saw it on the other side of the mountain.”

“Our mountain?” Abe asked.

“Yes, down near Route 16.”

“Let’s go,” Abe said as they all made their way downstairs.

Sunny grabbed the lockbox. She wasn’t sure why, but she couldn’t help but think if she was dealing with the coal company, she might need the proof they had promised to leave them alone.